Aikido & Arnis Orientation Held @ CSA-B by James U. Sy Jr.

CSA-B ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) officers and cadets pose with Guest Instructors and Officials at the conclusion of the Aikido & Arnis Orientation last August 18, 2012 at the 4/F Business Education Building (BED) Bldg., Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod (CSA-B), B.S. Aquino Drive, Bacolod City. Stead from left: Gelkoff A. Calmerin Sensei, James U. Sy Jr. Sensei, Maxwell “Max” J. Maun Sensei, Mr. Kurt M. Guimela, and two other ROTC Officials (.Maxwell Maun photo). 50 freshmen ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) officers and cadets attended the Aikido & Arnis Orientation last August 18, 2012 at the 4/F Business Education Building (BED) Bldg., Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod (CSA-B), B.S. Aquino Drive, Bacolod City. Mr. Kurt M. Guimela, ROTC Coordinator and IT Coordinator, invited Maxwell “Max” J. Maun Sensei, Founder/Chief Instructor of Bacolod Aikido Enthusiasts (BAE) and Master of Herada Pigada Arnis, to conduct the orientation/exhibition. Helping Maun Sensei in the orientation were James U. Sy Jr. Sensei, Founder/Chief Instructor of Ryu Aikidokan and Founder/Master of Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc., and Gelkoff A. Calmerin Sensei, Branch Instructor at BAE-Lacson. The orientation was held with blessing of NSTP Director Ms. Ma. Theresa Tingson. Maun Sensei opened the orientation with a lecture on the nature, history, and philosophy of the martial arts, with a focus on Japanese Aikido. He made distinctions between the combative, sportive, and cultural expressions of the martial arts. Then he proceeded to demonstrate, with Calmerin Sensei, some joint locking and throwing techniques used in Aikido such as ikkyo, nikyo, kokyu nage, and kote gaeshi. The student cadets were then given a hands on try at ukemi “receiving through the body, commonly translated as breakfalling (Nihonggo)” on the mat. In the later part of the orientation, Maun Sensei introduced the student cadets to the indigenous Negrosanon martial tradition via Herada Pigada Arnis, an art taught to him by his uncles, the army officers Doromal Brothers, which in part originally came from the Bayoneta Carada of WWII Infantryman Grandmaster Benito Agui of Sicaba, Cadiz. He showed his integration of Aikido, Arnis, and Karate into one art. The demonstration consisted of solo baston, doble baston, disarming, and koridas uno. Maun Sensei is one of the pioneering teachers of Aikido in Bacolod City, having taught since the last 1980’s. He traces his lineage to Lydio Copino Sensei of the Philippine Aikido and Sports Association Inc. (PASAI). Sy introduced his Conceptual Arnis (Martial Arts) System, which is a new system composed of older traditions from Negros with influences from other arts. The focus of his demonstration was reality based self defense against grabs, punches, gun, and rape, as well as derivable weapons, anti-disarming, empty hands-weapons overlaying, empty hands application of sinawali, and integration of different martial arts. Sy studied under at least 30 teachers of the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), mostly from Negros Occidental, and is certified to teach by some of them. He studied Aikido under 5 teachers, among them Maun Sensei, and is ranked 1st Dan in the art, and is also ranked in other Asian martial arts. Sy is also a martial arts researcher, historian, and writer. Calmerin Sensei talked about the higher philosophical ideals of Aikido of not fighting and using the art as part of one’s life. He elucidated the higher principles of harmony in life. Calmerin studied Aikido under Maun Sensei and Noel “Nonong” Fuentes Sensei.